MONTREAL, Quebec - Following a two week break in regular season action, the Impact U21 team (8-3-5) won its third game in a row, Sunday afternoon, shutting out the Serbian White Eagles (7-7-4) by a 1-0 score, at the Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, in Montreal.
Midfielder Wandrille Lefevre scored the game winner in the 55th minute on a free-kick. Following touches by Maxim Tissot and Zakaria Messoudi, Lefevre beat Whites Eagles goalkeeper Milos Durkovic to his right with a low, hard shot from about 20 yards out.
The Impact played up a man after the 43rd minute following the ejection of midfielder Ramon Bailey, who kicked Jason Beaulieu in the face as the Impact goalkeeper came sliding out of his net.
Beaulieu, who registered the shutout, made a key stop in the 13th minute on Kirie Dimitrov. Then in the 74th minute, he made a game saver as he came out to challenge Richard West, who was alone in front of goal.
"We played well for 75 minutes. It was a good performance against a good team," said Impact U21 head coach Philippe Eullaffroy. "We did well on set plays, especially on corner kicks in the first half. However, we could have better managed the last 15 minutes of the game with better technical quality."
"We practice set plays a lot. It doesn't always work, but today I was able to get a good shot on goal to score," said midfielder Wandrille Lefevre, who scored his team leading 6th goal of the season. "It was a good result for us against an opponent directly involved in the playoff race with us. It was nice to play on a grass surface today as well. Now we have to continue what we have been doing well recently and success will follow."
The Impact created a good scoring chance early in the game off of a corner kick, but a White Eagle defender cleared the ball off of the goal line.
Later on, in the 60th minute Yacine Ait-Slimane just missed the net off of a rebound from a shot taken by Wandrille Lefevre from about 35 yards out, after the Eagles' goalkeeper stopped Lefevre's initial shot.
Lineup Impact U21
GK - Jason Beaulieu; D - Maxime Tissot, Amine Meftouh, Dominique Morin, Hugo Lapointe-Sénécal; M - Yacine Ait-Slimane* (Kevin Lafond* 90’), Wandrille Lefevre (Félix Cardin 86’), Jeremy Gagnon-Laparé, Zakaria Messoudi; F - Victor Ndiaye (James Geffrard 51’), Mircea Ilcu (Charles Joly* 75’)
Subs not used: GK – Hicham Kettani; M – Yannick Toker
Impact U18 player
Next Game
With six games left on the schedule, the U21s are in the heat of the playoff race in the Canadian Soccer League. The Impact will play its next match in Toronto against TFC Academy on September 14, at Downsview Park, at 8pm (ET).
Debut for the Impact U16 and U18 teams
The two other Academy teams made their historic debuts in the US Soccer Development Academy (USSDA), on Saturday, in a double header versus Albertson FC. The Impact U18s earned a scoreless draw, while the U16 team fell 1-0.
